Draft-rigging.



l. F. OCONNOR.

DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLICATION min mn.|8.1915.

Patented May 29, 1917.

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APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1U. l9l5- 1,228,234. Pat-@med May 29,1917.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM H. MINER, 0F CHAZY, NEW YORK.

DRAFT-RIGGING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 1917.

Application iled March 18, 1915. Serial No. 15,344.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,liavc invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Draft-Riggings, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a pai't of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in draft riggings und more particularly to means for dampening the recoil.

An object of the invention is to provide a draft rigging for railway cars having simple and efficient means for overcoming the effects of recoil of the gear. Other objects of the invention are to provide dampening means for the draft rigging which comprise friction means and in which the friction is greatest when the parts of the gear are in normal position,

The invention furthermore consists in the improvements in the parts and devices and in the novel combinations of the parts and devices, as herein shown, described or claimed.

In the draw-ing forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a draft rigging em bodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line lA-4 of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are views corresponding respectively with Figs. 1 and 3 but illustrat ing another embodiment of my improvements.

In said drawing, and referring to Figs. l to 4.- inclusive, 10-10 denote the center sills to the inner sides of which are secured stop castings 11, each of which is provided with front, rear, front intermediate and rear intermediate stops 12--12 for the front, rear and intermediate followers 13 of a tandem draft rigging. Each of said castings 11 is also provided with limiting stops 14.-14. Between the followers are located the shock absorbing means which. in the form shown in. the drawing, comprises springs l5 each spring consisting of an inner and an outer coil. The parts above described are or may lie of any woll known or desirable construcion.

The draw-bar 16 is provided with the usual upper and lower shoulders 17 with which engage inturned gibs or shoulders 18 formed on the ends of the upper and lower arms 19-19 of a yoke which, in the form shown, comprises two like members 20-20 bolted as indicated at 21. Each of the yoke members 20 has the arms thereof connected by an integral web 22 which together serve as the thimble for the operation of the intermediate followers. As most clearly shown in F each of the webs or connecting' plates 22 of each yoke member has, on its inner face, a pair of perforated bosses 23-23 and between these is clamped a plate 24 as by means of rivets 25-25, it being apparent from Fig. 3 that the plate 24 extends above and below the yoke for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. To accominodate the plate 24 where it pases through the upper and lower arms of the yoke members, the latter are cut away at their meeting edges as indicated at 26. From the preceding. description it will be seen that the plate 24 is firmly and rigidly connected with the yoke and moves in unison therewith under both buff and draft. Across both the top and bottom of the sills l0 extends a plate 27. Each is substantially in the shape of the letter H and has transversely extending end arms 28-28 adapted to be bolted to the flanges of the sills. Intermediate the arms 28 and extending parallel with the sills of the car is a box-like portion 29 open on the side adjacent the yoke and in these box-like sections 29 are placed a plurality of leaf springs 30, perferably four in number, and arranged as shown in Fig. 4, that is, the leaf or plate springs are bowed and arranged in couples with two convex faces disposed toward the center of the box-like section 29. A plurality of set screws 31 are provided which are threaded in the sides of the box 29 and are adapted to adjust the tension or pressure on the springs 30. The boxes 29 are located centrally of the gear and above and below the ends of the plate 24, the latter working therein and slidable between the leaf springs.

The operation is as follows: Upon either inward or outward movement of the drawbar and yoke, the main springs of the gear of the arrangement shown the resistance to the movement of the plate 24 gradually increases toward a maximum as the yoke returns to normal position. In this way the shock from the recoil or release of the springs of the gear is minimized and the amount of friction between the plate 24 and springs 30 can be adjusted as desired by means of the set screws 31.

In the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the arrangement of tandem springs, followers, stop castings and sills is the same as described for the construction shown in the other figures. For dampening the recoil, I provide a plate 127 secured to the bottom flanges of the sills 110, which. plate 127 corresponds substantially to one of the plates 27 previously described and the same has a box-like section 129 in which are located preferably four leaf springs 130 and the .tension of which can be adjusted by set screws 131. The yoke comprises two like halves 120-120, each of which at its center is Iprovided with `a vertically extending connecting web 122 and on the central faces of these plates or webs are perforated bosses 12S-123. The bosses 123 have pivotally mounted therebetween on a heavy pivot pin 125, a lever of the second class 124. The arms of this lever extend through the upper and lower arms of the yoke and are permitted play in slots 126 therein. The upper end of the lever 124 is fulcrumed in a plate 150 which extends across the tops of the sills and is bolted thereto. The lower end of the lever 124 is preferably enlarged as indicated at 151 and the same is slidable between the inner pair of the plate springs 130.

The frictional action between the lower end of the lever 124 and the springs 130 1s substantially the same as previously described for the other construction; In the arrangement shown in Figs. 5 and 6, however, the lever 124 being pivoted substantially at its center to the yoke will have its lower end, which engages the leaf springs, moved a distance substantially twice that of the movement of the yoke, whether this direction of movement be forwardly or rearwardly. Also, on account of this double travel of the lower end of the lever 124, the Same amount of friction thereon will produce double the effect on the yoke as does the same amount of friction on one end of the plate 24 shown in the other construction. Hence the capacity of the single spring dampening mechanism of the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is equal to the ca" pacity of the two arrangements shown in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred method of carryingout my improvements, yet I am aware that changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all. such changes and modifications are contemplated as come within the 'scope of the claims appended hereto.

l. In a draft rigging, the combinatie with shock absorbing means, a draw-bar, and operative connections draw-bar and said means, of dampening mechanism operated upon release of said means after actuation either in buff or draft, said .mechanism affording a maximum re" sistance upon approach of said means to normal or full release position.

2. In a draft rigging, the combination with shock absorbing means and a yoke, of devices for dampening the recoil of said means, said devices including a member movable with said yoke and relatively fixed frictional elements engaged by said member in its movements, the friction between said member and elements being at a maximum when the rigging is in full release.

3. In a draft rigging, the combination with shock absorbing means and a yoke, of devices for dampening the recoil of said means, said devices including a member movable with said yoke and relatively fixed frictional elements engaged by said member in its movements, said xed elements being in the form of bowed plate springs.

4. In a draft rigging, the combination with shock absorbing means and a yoke operatively connected therewith, of devices for dampening release of said means, said devices including a plate having a box-like portion secured to the draft sills, relatively stationary friction elements mounted within said box-like portion and a member movable in unison with said yoke having an end thereof engageable with said friction elements.

5. In a draft rigging, the combination with shock absorbing means and a yoke operatively connected therewith, of devices for dampening the recoil of said means, said devices including a plurality ofbowed plate springs, a member connected and movable in unison with said yoke and having one end thereof engageable with said springs, and means for adjusting the tension of said springs.

between the 6. In a draftl rigging, the combination with a draw-bar, tandem yoke connected therewith and tandem arranged springs and followers, of draft sills, a plate extending across and secured to the bottoms of said sills, said plate having a box-like portion therein, bowed springs mounted in said box-like portion, and a member connected with said yoke and movable in unison therewith, said member having its lower end in frictional slidable engagement with said bowed springs.

7. In a draft rigging, the combination with shock absorbing means, and a yoke operatively connected therewith, of dampening mechanism, said mechanism including a member connected to and movable in uni son with said yoke, said member being ex- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. C.

yoke, and relatively fixed frictional elements located at the side of said member and exerting pressure laterally thereagainst.

JOHN F. OCONNOR.

Witnesses:

CARRIE G. RANZ, GEORGIE VIGKERY.

Commissioner of Tatents, 

